Free Digital Menu With QR Code for Your Restaurant

Many restaurants do not want ordering software at all. The waiters should keep taking orders, the till stays where it is, and all that is missing is a clean, current menu that guests can read on their phones and that people find on Google.

BiteTwo does this too. Next to ordering, it publishes your menu as a web page with its own address. You do not have to use any of the ordering features, and you can switch them on later if you ever want to. This article shows how to put your menu online, how to share it with a QR code and a Google link, and what to look out for.

The short answer

• You publish your menu as a web page with its own address, for example /menu/gasthaus-zur-linde.
• Guests need nothing: no app, no account, no code. They scan a QR code or open the link and read the menu.
• It costs nothing. BiteTwo currently has no monthly fee, no setup fee and no contract.
• It stays current. You change a dish or mark it as sold out in BiteTwo, and the page shows it right away.
• You can start ordering later. The menu is the same one that guests use for ordering, so nothing has to be rebuilt.

Why a web page and not a PDF

A PDF menu works, but it has well-known weak spots. It is hard to read on a small screen, and every change means making a new file and replacing it everywhere it was shared. A web page avoids both:

• It reads well on a phone, with sections, photos and prices laid out for a small screen.
• It is always the current version. The link and the QR code never change, only the content behind them.
• Search engines can read it. The page carries structured data about your restaurant, your sections, dishes and prices, so search engines can understand what is on your menu.
• Allergens are part of it. Marks next to the dishes, with a key at the bottom of the page, in the format of your country. More on this in our article on allergen labelling on a digital menu.

Step by step

1. Create your account

Register at BiteTwo with your email address and your restaurant's name. A new restaurant starts with an empty menu.

2. Enter your menu

You have two options:

• Type it in in the menu editor: categories, dishes, prices, descriptions, photos, sizes and extras.
• Import it from photos. An AI assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude reads photos or a PDF of your paper menu, and you check the result in a preview before importing. We describe this in Import Your Menu From Photos With ChatGPT or Claude.

Also choose your country and currency in the settings, because the country decides how allergens are marked on the page. Add a short description, address, phone number and logo too: the page shows them at the top.

3. Publish the menu

Go to Settings → Restaurant and find the Public menu card. Switch on Publish the menu, choose your web address and save. The address is made from your restaurant's name, and you can change it. Changing it later breaks links you have already shared, so choose it once.

Until you publish, nobody can see the page. The address then shows a "Menu not available" notice.

4. Share it

Once the menu is published, the card shows your link with a Copy button and your QR code.

• QR code: download it as a PNG or an SVG and print it for tables, the door, the window, flyers or takeaway bags. The PNG is large, so it stays sharp in print. Scan it with your own phone before you print.
• Link: use it on your website, in social media profiles, in a newsletter or in messages to guests.
• Google: add it to your Google Business Profile, as described below.

A fixed QR code is a bad idea for ordering, because anyone can photograph it and order from home. For a read-only menu this problem does not exist: there is nothing to order, so the code can stay on the table for good. Our article on prank orders explains the difference.

Add the menu to Google

When people look for your restaurant on Google Search or Maps, your Business Profile can show a link to your menu. In your Business Profile, choose Edit profile, then Contact, and enter your address in the Menu link field. In the mobile app, the path goes through Business information first. Then save. Google's help page for menu links describes the steps, and menu options are for food and drink businesses.

Two things to know:

• Google decides what it shows, and changes to a profile can take a while to appear. There is no guarantee for how prominently the link is displayed.
• Your own page stays current. Even if Google takes time, the link points to your page, which always shows your latest menu.

What guests see

The public page shows:

• your restaurant's name, logo, description, address and phone number (the phone number is a tap-to-call link);
• your categories with their dishes, with photos, descriptions and prices;
• sizes and portions with their prices, and extras with their surcharges;
• allergen, additive and diet marks, with a key that explains them;
• the hours of menu sections, such as "Mon–Fri · 11:30–14:30" for a lunch menu.

It does not show dishes you marked as sold out, categories you hid, VAT rates, staff, orders or anything about your business details.

Keep it up to date

You work in the normal menu editor, and the page follows:

• Change a price or a description, and the page shows it right away.
• Sold out? Mark the dish as unavailable, and it disappears from the page until you switch it back on.
• Seasonal menu? Hide a whole category, or give it days and hours, for example for a lunch menu or a weekend brunch.
• New dishes? Add them in the editor or import another round from photos. Dishes that already exist are skipped.

What it does not do

So that nothing surprises you:

• No translations. The page shows the menu in the language you write it in. If you want several languages, you can write the names and descriptions in both.
• No own domain. The address is on BiteTwo's domain, in the form /menu/your-name. You can link to it from your own website.
• No ordering unless you switch it on. Guests can only read. If you want them to order from their phone, that is a separate step, and you can take it gradually, as described in Risk-Free QR Ordering for Small Restaurants.
• Correct information is up to you. Prices and allergens are only as correct as your entries.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need ordering software to have a digital menu?

No. You can use BiteTwo only for the public menu page and ignore the rest. Tables, guest codes and orders stay unused.

Do guests need an app or an account?

No. They open the link or scan the QR code and see the menu in their browser.

What does it cost?

BiteTwo currently charges nothing: no monthly fee, no setup fee, no commission and no contract.

Can I change the menu after I published it?

Yes, at any time. The page always shows the current state of your menu.

Can I print the QR code?

Yes. Download it as a PNG or SVG from the Public menu card in the settings. Test it with a phone before you print many copies.

Can I turn on ordering later?

Yes. The menu you published is the same one used for ordering, so you do not have to enter anything again.

Conclusion

A digital menu does not need a big system. A page that is always current, a QR code on the table and a link on Google are enough for many restaurants, and with BiteTwo they come without cost or commitment. If you want more later, such as ordering from the phone, the menu is already in place.

Start for free and put your menu online, or book a demo if you would like to see it first.